Crime group used foie gras and duck breast to disguise cocaine importation

An organised crime group used a cover load of foie gras and duck breast to smuggle nearly 100kg of cocaine into the UK.

Four members of the group were sentenced today following a National Crime Agency investigation which began after colleagues from Border Force became suspicious about the expensive delicacy which was placed on top of the Class A drug in the back of a transit van.

Officers stopped the vehicle in November 2019 as it entered Newhaven from Dieppe.

Once the foie gras and duck breast were removed, officers discovered the van had a false floor and the crime group had placed 97kg of cocaine under it. The drugs had a street value of about £8m.

The NCA investigation proved the driver was innocent but that the van owners Jean-Pierre Labelle, 48, and Tanvir Hussain, 46, were behind the failed importation along with Michael Keating, 56, and his brother Matthew Keating, 49.

Pictured: Michael Keating, Matthew Keating, Jean Piere Labelle and Tnavir Hussain

Kingpin Michael Keating, of Uxbridge, Middlesex, organised the plot and sourced the drugs through international connections.

Hussain, of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, bought the van along with Labelle, who is from the Isle of Wight.

Crime group member Matthew Keating, of Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, admitted a previous ketamine importation committee with his older brother.

Michael Keeting used the encrypted communications platform EncroChat to plan his drugs runs.

NCA officers proved he was the real-world identity behind the handle ‘Bestrocket’, which had sent photos of a boat Keating had bought and had made references to his family.

Officers working on Operation Venetic, the NCA’s response to the takedown of EncroChat, used cell site data to show the encrypted handset travelling with Keating’s personal phone and vehicle.

Keating’s brother Matthew also had an EncroChat phone and they used the platform to plan an 80kg importation of ketamine.

During a search of Michael Keating’s home, officers seized more than £50,000 cash and a notebook that appeared to contain EncroChat handles.

He and Hussain were convicted conspiring to import cocaine by a jury at Hove Crown Court in February 2024. Keating was today sentenced to 24 years’ imprisonment. Hussain was jailed for 10 years.

Labelle admitted conspiracy to import cocaine in October 2023 and was jailed for 17 years today.

Keating’s brother Matthew pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import ketamine in January 2024 and was sentenced to seven years and six months.

Mark Ruff, NCA Senior Officer, said: “The cover load of foie gras and duck breast is highly unusual and Border Force colleagues did a superb job in seeing through it and the concealed floor.

“This result demonstrates the determination of NCA officers to bring to justice all those involved in the importation of illegal drugs – whether they sort the logistics, knowingly transport the substances, or benefit financially from the trade.

“In this case we proved the offenders’ links and completely dismantled a crime group.

“The class A drugs trade fuels violence and misery at every step of its way to the UK. We will continue to work alongside partners at home and abroad to right the threat of Class A drugs.”